Trinamul suspends leaders over dance row

Jan 03, 2013, 08:52 IST
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Agencies

Ruling Trinamul Congress yesterday suspended party leaders and workers after they were seen showering money at dancing girls at an event to celebrate the Mamata Banerjee-led party's foundation day ceremony.

The decision came following severe criticism from political parties, the women’s commission and intellectuals, after the partymen — including zilla parishad member Meer Taheer Ali — were caught on camera showering money on skimpily-dressed women dancers who were hired for the event in South 24-Parganas’ Bhangore on Tuesday evening.

Party MP Derek O’Brien, who condemned the incident yesterday and assured that action would be taken within 48 hours. He tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that the accused party members have been suspended from the party.

O’Brien did not rule out the expulsion of the suspended cadres from the party.Earlier, the “erotic dance” controversy left Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress embarrassed after the opposition CPI-M, the Congress and the National Commission for Women took a dig at the party leadership.

National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma said, “It is shameful that they are celebrating this way. Such incidents used to happen in feudal days.”